


Entwined Halves

by KhaleesiMimi



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: M/M, Pompous Pep
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-11-15
Packaged: 2018-07-24 18:00:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7517884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KhaleesiMimi/pseuds/KhaleesiMimi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vlad Masters is used to the mundane routine of his daily life and that of his business travels, so when his younger business partners drag him to a concert festival instead of an upscale restaurant or local watering hole, he's left wondering how he had let it happen and left nearly speechless when he sees a familiar little badger after five years.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Phantoms

It was supposed to be a normal business trip to the city; meet with the faceless men he would very well soon forget, talk about how well his business endeavors and endorsements were doing and if any were failing what could be done to fix it- the usual mundane tasks he was so used to on these trips across the country. Often times these trips would warrant a mandatory dinner or “lets get some drinks” after the long hours of the needless meetings, to which he would reluctantly go. 

Vlad Masters was used to this routine and was almost robotic when it came to his business travels, so when his younger business partners dragged him to a concert festival instead of an upscale restaurant or local watering hole, he was snapped out of his unfocused, one-tracked mind stupor and was trying to wrap his head around how and why this happened. 

Going over the day’s events in his mind, Vlad vaguely remembered the young men in charge of his Pittsburgh division of Dalv Corporations talking about a local radio show’s concert festival, and that it would be nice to go and support it since Dalv Co. was one of their sponsors. Vlad had mindlessly agreed, too busy reading the charts in front of him to focus on what they had suggested. Ahh, that’s it... Vlad should probably work on at least paying a little bit of attention when others were talking to him.

Now, he was standing close to the stage at an outdoor concert amphitheater, beer bottle in his hand as he tried to listen to his partners talk over the loud buzz of chatter from the other couple thousand attendees. Due to Vlad using his name, he and his four business companions were able to get into the sold out show and were ushered to the front of the crowd, blocked off by a few security men so they would be unbothered for the most part. The crowd around them was majority mid 20s and 30 year olds, but there were plenty of older attendees and a small percentage of younger. There was a lawn beyond the main standing area past the food and alcohol vendors that held the majority of the older crowd on the grass. He would have much rather preferred to be back on the lawn, away from the mass crowd, but his younger companions wanted to be close to the stage.

He would never understand the fascination with being so up close to the performers; it was the same show regardless of where you were in proximity to the stage. 

The evening was warm and humid, and Vlad was thankful he had thought to forego his suit in favor of a light button down with the sleeves rolled up and his usual dress pants. Vlad could already feel sweat forming on the back of his neck from where his hair rest in its low ponytail. He reached back to pull his hair up in a bun, relieved to feel a slight breeze on the back of his neck.

He really wasn’t one for big social events like this, and he just wanted the evening to be over so he could go back to his hotel for the night.

“Most of these bands are local, only the last two are pretty big names that are on tour.” One of the young men with Vlad said. What was his name? Christopher?

Vlad raised an eyebrow at the young man, “Everyone starts somewhere. This show could very well be the beginning for some of the local bands. To even be playing at such an event at a venue like this is a great accomplishment on its own.”

“Isn’t that the truth!” Chris responded.

“Are you sure your old ears can handle a concert like this?” One of the other men joked, which got him an elbow jab from the older of the four. “Sorry! Sorry, I just mean that it’s heavy rock and post-hardcore music, not exactly your classical soft and soothing tunes.”

Vlad controlled himself to not side-glare the boy, “Whilst it isn’t the type of music I would listen to, I’m sure my old ears will be just fine.” He may have not glared at the boy, but his voice was just callous enough to cause a look of dread on the boy’s face.

It wasn’t much longer before the first band came on. For a local band, Vlad was impressed. The lead singer had a very strong voice, and her range was impeccable and very reminiscent of old school hard rock. He found himself enjoying the performance, nodding his head to the beat and even cracking a smile when he saw his companions really enjoying themselves. 

Memories and thoughts of the past began to make their way to Vlad’s mind; if someone had told him six years ago he’d be enjoying himself at a concert, he would have scoffed in their face and moved on to his next plan to go through with his revenge and urge to take over the world. He had always been hellbent on making the Fentons’ lives a living nightmare after their reunion nine years ago. Ever since his failed plans at the reunion party, his mission in life was to kill Jack, win Maddie over, and destroy the pest Daniel. His jealousy and rage and loneliness had built for years and years, turning him into a feared and respected ghost in the Ghost Zone and a successful business man and politician in the human realm; however, two years after their reunion and meeting Daniel, it all seemed so... useless. 

He supposed he had young Daniel to thank for that. After a particularly violent fight between the two halfas, he had injured the boy so badly to the point he had thought he had taken young Daniel’s life. Dread had set in, and it was like a switch had gone off in him. Why did he keep fighting Daniel? Why did he keep holding on to all the jealousy and anger towards Jack? Why did he keep trying to force himself and others to think he still loved Maddie when those feelings for her had died many years ago while he was still in the hospital? 

Vlad Masters knew nothing else but jealousy and bitterness and loneliness for decades of his life. He had let it shape his life, his motivations, his morals, his entire being. All he had gotten out of it was wealth and fame (to some degree). Holding onto the grudge for decades had warped who he was.

The realization those years ago had shaken him to his very core, and he had stopped fighting Daniel and stopped trying to seek revenge on Jack. It was almost like going through a drug withdrawal for months after that; the empty need to go back to his previous ways eating at him, but he was able to move on from his past and make an effort with the Fentons. Young Daniel had of course been suspicious of the man, and it wasn’t until Amity Park was in danger from a new ghost threat and Vlad had nearly given his life to protect Daniel that the boy finally accepted that Vlad had changed and was trying to be a better man. 

From that day on, the two had a mutual respect for each other, and Daniel would often spend some weekends at his mansion to train so he could gain better control over his ghost powers. Vlad was invited over every Sunday to the Fenton’s for dinner and to join Jack on whatever ghost hunting gadget he was working on. He would of course go on the Sundays he could make it, but most of the time he was preparing to travel or too busy with work. During Daniel’s senior year of high school, he had come to Vlad for tutoring so he could pass his trouble subjects. Vlad had gone to the boy’s graduation and even gifted him a hefty amount of money to help him get through college. He was actually proud that Daniel had been accepted to the University of Wisconsin, but was a little disappointed when the boy had chosen another university over his alum. College was college though, and Vlad was just proud Daniel had gotten accepted to a few different schools to allow him to have to chose between them.

Once Daniel had left for college, Vlad found himself very lonely in the large mansion he lived in alone, aside from his dear cat. Even though Daniel had come every other weekend to train, the mansion had a special life to it when the boy was there, and that aura was left throughout the mansion when he left. Vlad would still occasionally go visit Jack and Maddie over the years, but his visits lessened each year.

He had been invited to Daniel’s college graduation a year ago, but he was going to be in Hong Kong on a business trip. Vlad had tried everything he could to reschedule the trip, but his partners in Hong Kong would not budge. Instead, Vlad had sent Daniel a card with a check and a care package of things he figured the boy would need if he were going to be living on his own and not in a dorm anymore. He wondered how the boy was doing now...

Vlad was pulled out of his thoughts when the crowd around him started screaming louder than they had been previously. The first band was taking their bows on stage before heading off, and some men came on stage to rearrange and bring out the next band’s instruments. 

“She was hot!” Vlad heard Chris shout, “ I wonder if we can go backstage and meet the bands.”

“Don’t be greedy. Mr. Masters already got us into this sold out show.” The older of the four- Dominic, was it?- said, trying to show how grateful he was to Vlad’s actions.

Vlad half listened to his companions chat amongst themselves as he finished his beer. He inwardly scowled at the taste, definitely preferring the taste of scotch and whisky to beer. It was something to get him through the evening though, so he didn’t mind too much.

Two more bands went on stage over the next hour. As the set up for the fourth band was going on, Vlad looked up at the sky. The sun was beginning to set, leaving the sky to be a beautiful mix of shades of orange and pink. Vlad couldn’t seem to take his mind off Daniel. Last he heard from Jack was that Daniel was working two part-time jobs in cafes and living in his own apartment. He couldn’t for the life of him remember what college the boy had chosen and where he was living, no matter how hard he tried to remember. Even though his body had stopped aging due to his ghost half, perhaps his mind still was aging.

“This next band is awesome. I’ve seen them a couple of time before, and they have definitely made a name for themselves here in the city.” One of the men- Nate- said to Vlad, “They started out doing cover songs in bars. They still do covers a lot, but have been writing more of their own songs lately.”

“Oh, is this The Phantoms?” Chris asked, “I checked them out a few months ago! Their covers of early 2000s punk songs are great.”  
Vlad smirked at the band’s name, The Phantoms.

The sky was still painted strokes of orange and pink when the next band came on. The crowd around them started to scream and cheer, much louder than they had for the previous three bands. Nate did say they were pretty popular in Pittsburgh. Perhaps The Phantoms would be promising and keep Vlad’s attention on the stage better than the previous bands.

There was a flash of white lights from the stage, causing Vlad to squint before being able to focus on the stage. There was a man standing behind the microphone stand who wasn’t there before, his back facing the crowd. Vlad could make out a mess of black hair, a loose grey muscle tank top with deep cut outs in the side and what appeared to be different constellations designed on the fabric, and the standard black skinny jeans that all the men in the bands seemed to be wearing. A single note on the piano played, and Vlad’s ears were pierced with the sound of the thousands of people cheering. As the piano continued to play single note after single note, the man slowly brought the microphone up, and as if on cue the entire crowd began to sing along with him.

“When I was a young boy my father took me into the city to see a marching band...”

The singer’s voice was so fluid, a very slight strain to emphasize the style of the music that was being performed. Vlad assumed this was one of the cover songs since it seemed the entire audience knew it and sang along just as passionately as the singer. Even with his back to the audience, Vlad could feel such a strong emotion coming from the singer through his words. 

There was a short break from his singing, which the guitar and drums picked up in sound, and the singer pumped his fist in the air to the beat, causing the audience to follow suit. The singer suddenly turned around, repeating the first lines of the song in a half scream. His black hair fell in his face as he “scream sang” into the mic- there was no other way Vlad could describe it to himself, even so, he was oddly enough enjoying the performance so far. 

The singer screamed just before the instruments and the beat picked up, and when he whipped his head back and continued singing, Vlad could feel his heart and stomach melt inside of him.

Before him on stage, the lead singer of the band was none other than Daniel Fenton.

Vlad stood there, staring up at the boy in disbelief. There was no doubt in his mind that this was Daniel. He still looked the same as he had when he had last seen him five years ago, only his face was a bit more defined, more mature, and from what he could see from the sleeveless shirt and deep side cut outs, the boy had definitely put on a little more muscle mass. He still looked short, even standing on stage, and lean, but he had definition in his arms and torso. Daniel’s hair was longer, just reaching past the bottoms of his ears.

The billionaire had to snap himself out of his oogling when he thought he saw Daniel look right at him. He was mistaken though, the boy’s eyes searched the crowd as he sang, but didn’t seem too focused on the faces he saw. Vlad never knew the boy could sing, let alone sound so wonderfully talented when he did.

Vlad was in a trance as The Phantoms continue their performance, their music keeping up the energy that the first song had. Daniel looked like he was really enjoying himself up on the stage as he sang. Throughout the songs there were some parts he would scream, but it just enough for Vlad to tolerate (though, he knew deep down without admitting that even if all the lyrics were screamed by Daniel, he would still be enjoying watching the little badger perform).

The Phantoms’ time on stage ended too soon for Vlad’s liking, and he had the immediate need to seek out Daniel. He stayed, though, knowing he had to put on the right face for his partners for the time being. After the concert though, he would seek out Daniel under the guise that Chris wanted to meet the lead singer from the first band.

The last few bands didn’t hold his attention at all; all Vlad could think about was seeing Daniel face to face after five years of barely any contact. Vlad had sent Daniel emails wishing him happy birthday and happy holidays every year, and Daniel would send him text messages regarding the same best wishes, but they hadn’t seen each other in five years, nor held an actual conversation. Vlad knew Daniel was busy with his coursework and being a self-sufficient adult, so he didn’t hold it against the boy at all. There was a loneliness that had grown over the years, one that he hadn’t felt when they had seen each other on a near weekly basis. Seeing Daniel on stage had made that ache he had felt for five years all but disappear, leaving a strange longing in its place. 

Vlad was beginning to get impatient and fidgety, just wanting the last band for the night to hurry and be done so he could see Daniel- it was a long and painful two hours for the older man. When the band had finally performed their last encore song, blasting confetti over the audience, Vlad mentioned to the men he was with that he wouldn’t mind getting them backstage to meet the bands and that it was the least he could do after all their hard work with overseeing the city’s division of his company. 

After just a few words to the security that was standing with them, they were being led inside the building, through the back of the indoor concert hall and into the green room where the bands were hanging out after the show to avoid the fans. There were some empty beer bottles and cans around the band members, and some other containers of various alcohols and energy drinks and even some snacks littering the couches, tables and floor. The smell of cigarettes and weed lingered in the air and caused a light cloud to drift around the room as the members all conversed. Vlad’s eyes sought out Daniel in the dimly lit, smoky room, and when his eyes landed on the other halfa, he felt a sweat break out across his skin.

Daniel was standing and talking with another band member. He had his shirt pulled halfway up his torso since he had the front bunched up in his hands as they rested on his stomach. Vlad could see some light scars on the boy’s lower back from all his years of ghost fighting, as well as how the tight jeans hugged his hips in just the right way.

Vlad immediately shook his head at that though- what was wrong with him? This was Daniel... and that was exactly the cause of his thoughts and nervous behavior. This was Daniel. 

It was now or never, the billionaire thought to himself. Vlad’s mouth went dry as he walked up to Daniel, eyes catching onto a droplet of sweat that moved down the boy’s- the young man’s arm. 

The person Daniel had been talking to and laughing with nodded his head, a silent sign to tell Daniel to turn around. Vlad could imagine the confused look on Daniel’s face before he turned.

Light blue eyes widened in shock, eyebrows disappeared behind black bangs. Vlad briefly wondered if Daniel could hear his pounding heart, but continued to appear as if he wasn’t falling apart before the young man. He gave Daniel a sly smirk, “That was quite the show, little badger.”

“V-Vlad?”


	2. Things Left Unsaid

Danny being surprised was an understatement for how he felt upon seeing Vlad fucking Masters standing just a couple feet away from him. His gut was twisting and his hands were suddenly very sweaty as he looked up at the older halfa he hadn’t seen in over five years; the man looked like he hadn’t aged at all, but at the same time he looked... different. Maybe it was the way his hair was pulled back in a bun, or maybe the way his skin glistened (glistened? really, Danny? Of all the words to describe this man...) slightly with sweat. Whatever the case, Danny knew there was something different in Vlad’s appearance that he couldn’t place his finger on. 

“What, no hello to an old friend?” Danny was snapped out of his ogling by that teasing tone that seemed to flow so smoothly from Vlad’s mouth.

Danny’s face turned a shade of pink, but he smiled through the embarrassment and sickly twist he felt in his stomach, “Isn’t it past your bedtime, old man?”

“I’ve been known to enjoy a night out every once in a while.” Vlad replied with a smirk, one that Danny still hasn’t forgotten after all these years.

“As long as you’re home by ten, right?” Before he could stop himself and keep their banter going, Danny asked the question that was itching in his mind the second he saw Vlad, “What are you doing here?” He stepped closer to the older man, forgetting about everyone else around them.

“I’m in town for business, and my colleagues roped me into coming to this show.” Danny could feel the heat come back to his face as he noticed Vlad’s eyes move down and back up his body, “You were certainly a sight to behold on stage, Little Badger. All these years and I never knew you had a talent such as that.”

“Yo, Dan, this old man need to be escorted out?”

Danny rolled his eyes when he felt an arm wrap around his waist and calloused fingers make their way under his shirt to touch his skin, “No, Tyler. Vlad’s a friend.” 

The man who had walked over- Tyler- looked at Vlad before his eyes widened as if he had realized something, “Dude, this is Vlad? The Vlad? Danny hardly ever shuts up about you- OW!”

Danny glared at the lanky blond, “I think I’m going to get my stuff and head out for the night.” He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out his phone, seeing that it was nearly midnight. Danny looked back up at Vlad, his mouth growing a little dry as he thought of his next words carefully, “Mind walking with me back to my apartment? It’s not too far.” 

Vlad raised an eyebrow at Danny, and the boy immediately regretted asking. Was that too forward? Should he have just suggested meeting for breakfast in the morning? He was suddenly very anxious, and all he wanted was to catch up with Vlad and apologize for not doing so over the last five years. Vlad’s words, though, brought a small calm to the storm raging in Danny’s heart and stomach, “Inviting me back to your place already, Little Badger? I suppose I can walk you home.” Even with the teasing tone, Danny could see the way Vlad’s smirk softened into an endearing smile.

“Leaving already? You’re no fun anymore, Dan.” Tyler whined as Danny pulled away from him, but the younger halfa ignored him.

When Danny looked up at Vlad, he felt his anxious heart pick its beat back up, “I’ll meet you out at the back exit. I need to grab some things.” Truthfully, Danny just needed to grab his backpack off one of the couches, but he really just wanted a few minutes to sort out his racing thoughts and calm himself. 

As guilty as he felt from not making more of an effort with Vlad over the years, he had kept their contact minimal for reasons. At first he tried to deny those reasons, but the longer he kept out of touch with Vlad, the more he realized he couldn’t deny the truth anymore. He had just been standing only a few inches away from Vlad, and was about to spend roughly half an hour walking alone with him. Old emotions that never really went away started to resurface; emotions he had suppressed once he accepted them, and hoped that eventually they would simply go away even after five years. Danny shook these thoughts from his head, knowing he was overthinking yet again and needed to focus on the here and now.

 

Once he had grabbed his backpack, Danny took a few minutes to get his heart rate back to normal before heading out to the back exit.

The walk was quiet for the first roughly fifteen minutes, neither of them really knowing what to say or where to begin. It had been five years since they were face to face with each other, and so much has changed in those five years. For both of them. Danny was thinking over all that has happened for him in the last five years- moving away from Amity Park and into a city many states away, graduating from college, joining The Phantoms, feeling as if his ghost powers were at their prime- but even with all the good that has been going on in his life there was still... an anxiousness he felt every day, a loneliness even. Ghost attacks weren’t nearly as bad in the city as they were back in Amity Park, and he would have to fight off a ghost maybe once a week to fight off an evil spirit, if that even, whereas it was a daily thing in Amity Park. He had more time for himself, and he felt as if he had been trying to make up for lost teenage years when he first moved to the city. Now he was slowed down, taking each day at a time even though he always seemed to be on edge, waiting for an attack. Even though he only fought once a week... there were times when he would suddenly go ghost without wanting or meaning to, and that only added to his anxiety. The loneliness though was something he handled better than the anxiety. It was hard at first, not knowing anyone in the city and in college. He had a rough time socially, but he was always that way. Making acquaintances was easy, making friends was a whole different universe to him in many ways, but he eventually got the hang of it. Even so, there were nights when he would lay awake, not able to sleep because he felt like crying from how alone he felt. No one was there for him that truly understood him or could explain to him why he would suddenly go ghost without even thinking about it. Sure, he could call up Sam or Tucker or Jazz, but what he truly missed were those long talks with Vlad. Talks of the ghost zone, of his powers, of his own emotions and feelings. Vlad was a pillar for Danny after their truce, and it took moving away and being alone for years to realize just how important Vlad was to Danny.

That’s why he didn’t keep such close contact anymore. He didn’t want to remind himself how much he relied on Vlad, how at one point those feelings of mutual respect had blurred into something else he didn’t want to put his finger on. Danny didn’t want to keep Vlad in his life only for the two of them to be so separated. He wanted to move on, to figure things out on his own and not rely so heavily on others, especially Vlad. 

But here they were, five years later walking side by side. Danny had all the opportunity in the world to tell Vlad the truth. 

Vlad eventually broke the silence, almost startling Danny when he spoke, “How are the ghost attacks here? I can’t imagine they’re anywhere near the amount Amity Park sees.”

“Yeah, there’s one attack a week pretty much, sometimes not even. It’s been nice not having to fight ghosts and try to explain my disappearances and injuries the last few years.” Danny said as he scratched the back of his head, “I feel a little out of touch with my powers, but still better now than I felt when I first got them.”

“The attacks are still up there in numbers in Amity Park, though significantly less than years ago. Valerie is doing a fantastic job as the town’s defender.” Vlad commented, smiling fondly at the mention of Valerie.

“She always was good at being a hunter. Fast learner.” It was odd small talk, but it was talk nonetheless and Danny would take what he could get at this point. 

They fell back into silence as they walked, passing by buildings and a few other people who were out walking late. Danny led Vlad into an underpass, and once they were out on the other side there were more buildings, but not as close packed as before. There was open space, roadways, a park. It was still very city like, but not like it was just moments ago. “That one is my apartment.” Danny said as they entered into a center like area, pointing at one of the brown buildings. It was like a little squared off center; four apartment buildings spread out from each other, a large area in between them that had some sculptures and chairs and tables, what looked like a large business building off further, and a library. It was a nice little center, nicer than the surrounding area that was more run down.

Once they were standing outside of the building Dany lived in, he fumbled around for his keys to scan over the door to be let in, and once he had them he looked up at Vlad. There was a few moments of awkward silence before Danny asked, “Do you want to come up?”

His heart raced as waited for Vlad’s reply. What did his question imply? How did Vlad take it? Was he reading into something that Danny was trying desperately to hide? His place a mess right now, why did he even think to invite Vlad up? His place was also pretty small considering Vlad lived in a fucking castle. 

“Sure.”

Danny looked up from fumbling around with his keys and was instantly set at ease as he saw Vlad’s smile.

No hidden agenda. No fighting. No “mortal enemies” business. Just the two of them finally being face to face after five years. Perhaps now Danny could have an excuse to finally tell Vlad so many things that have been left unsaid for so long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY for the super late update. Life kinda got crazy busy with a new job and a few health problems and I honestly forgot about this little story. BUT I'M BACK. 
> 
> This chapter is on the shorter side mainly because I wanted to get SOMETHING out for you guys for the time being.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter~

**Author's Note:**

> I will definitely write another chapter to this, and depending on the response I MAY write more? Depending on if I do write more or not, the rating could change. Coming up with a title for this was super difficult, oh wow.
> 
> and yes, Danny opens with "Welcome to the Black Parade" by MCR because I just always think of him when I hear that song. 
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed the first little chapter of this PompousPep fic~


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